Business

Starbucks Twitter Hashtag Campaign Becomes Forum for Brand-Bashing

A seemingly innocuous Starbucks Twitter campaign in the UK backfired on the coffee giant when critics used the #SpreadTheCheer hashtag to bash the brand.

To compound the embarrassment, the tweets were displayed live at the Natural History Museum in London over the weekend. Starbucks has made headlines in the UK recently when it was disclosed that the company paid just £8.5 million ($13.8 million) in taxes in Britain, despite sales of £3 billion ($4.9 billion). Though many fans offered their heartfelt suggestions on how to spread cheer, others referenced the tax issue.

Starbucks isn't the first to become a victim of a "bashtagging" campaign. Earlier this year, McDonald's suffered the same fate as consumers used its #McDStories campaign as a launching pad for tales about bad experiences at the chain.

Reps from Starbucks could not be reached for comment on the campaign. The company has not addressed the issue in its Twitter feed.

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